Adjustable folding chair



Feb. 10, 1959 M. l. THOMAS 2,872,959

ADJUSTABLE FOLDING CHAIR Filed March 10, 1958 H G. 4 I. INVENTOR.

Morton L .Thomas P; 7 BY Mp3.

ATTORNEY ADJUSTABLE FOLDING CHAIR Morton I. Thomas, Monroe, N. Y.

Application Marchlt), 1958, Serial No. 720,195

1 Claim. (Cl. 155-117) The invention herein disclosed relates tometallic furniture of the folding type, adjustable for seating andreclining purposes.

The objects of the invention are to provide a simple inexpensiveconstruction for connecting the legs and the arms of the chair and whichwill provide the means for holding the several related parts of thechair in upright, intermediate and reclining positions.

Further special objects of the invention are to provide such means insimple inexpensive form, easily connected to the parts with which it iscombined, without requiring any special fastenings or extra parts.

Other special objects of the invention are to provide a connector of thetype indicated, which without adding extra weight or bulk, willreinforce and strengthen the parts to which it is attached.

Another special object is to provide connecting means which will be firmand secure, but which can be quickly and easily released when theposition of the chair is to be altered and which will not interfere inany Way with the free folding and unfolding of the chair.

Other desirable objects attained by the invention and the novel featuresof construction and arrangement by which the purposes of the inventionare accomplished are set forth and will appear in the course of thefollowing specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrates a present practical embodiment of the invention, butstructure may be modified and changed as regards the immediateillustration, within the intent and scope of the invention ashereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawing is a side elevation of one of the chairs in thefully extended reclining position.

' Fig. 2 is a similar view in the upright seating position.

Fig. 3 is a broken part sectional perspective view of one of the legand-arm connectors, in the position of parts illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken sectional view on substantially the planeof line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a broken sectional view on substantially the plane of line 55of Fig. 4. i

Fig. 6 is a broken side elevation of the connected parts in the foldedrelation.

The invention is shown applied to and embodied in a folding chair madeup of a back 7, a seat 8, and leg rest 9, carried by front and back legs10, 11, the latter in the form of U-frames inclined toward each otherand pivotally connected together and to the arms 12, of the chair.

The back frame is pivotally connected at the bottom to the seat frame bya cross rod 13, having angularly extended ends 14, pivoted on the backlegs at 15.

The frame of the seat 8, is pivotally connected to the front legs at 16,and the frame of the leg support 9, is pivotally connected to the seatframe at 17. The outer end of the leg rest is shown as having a foldingsupport 18.

The arms 12, are pivotally connected to the frame of the back at 19.

2,872,969 Patented Feb 10, 1959 "ice The upper ends of the convergentlyinclined front and back legs are pivotally connected together by specialbrackets, which provide the means for securing the various parts inthe'upright or reclining chair positions.

These brackets as shown particularly in Fig. 3, consist in each instanceof an inverted channel form yoke 20, having parallel side walls 21,connected by a fiat top wall or bight portion embracing the upper endsof the front and back legs and carrying the pivot studs 22, 23, forthese legs.

The front and back legs are thus connected free to swing at each side ofthe chair from the extended position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, to thefolded substantially parallel position shown in Fig. 6, and in shiftingfrom the folded to the open relation, the back legs 11, by pressingforward will rock the connecting yokes up into the vertical extendedposition shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

The inner, upper ends of the connecting brackets 20, are shown asextended beyond the pivot studs 23, for the back legs and formed as stopshoulders 24, Figs. 4, with reduced neck portions 25, above those andwidened head portions 26, at the upper ends.

The tubular arms 12, are shown as having longitudinal slots 27, to'receive the shank or neck portions 25, provided with stop shoulders 28,at the front ends for engagement by the cross heads 26, Fig. 4, and withstop shoulders 29, at the back ends for engagement with stop shoulders24.

The stop shoulders 29, at the back or inner ends of slots 27, in thearms are provided by cutting openings 30, in the arms wider than theslots to permit the arms to drop down over the shoulders 24, on thebrackets as shown in full lines Fig. 5. To release the arms from suchengagement, holding the back in the upraised position shown in Fig. 2,the arms are simply lifted enough to bring the slots into line with thereduced shank portions 25, of the holding lugs, whereupon the arms arefree to slide backward, thus to lower the back to the reclined positionor intermediate shown in Fig. 1, where it will be held by engagement ofthe front stops 28, on the arms with the upper head portions 26, of theholding brackets.

The brackets 20, may be blanked out of flat stock and bent into channelform with the holding lugs extended at an upward incline at the backends of the same. The head portions 26, of these lugs are shown as ofsutficient lateral extent to bridge the slots 27, and openings 30, toprevent accidental release of the tubular arms from the brackets and thelower edges of such head portions may be rounded as indicated at 31,Fig. 4, to fit the curvature of the arms and thus tend to center andguide the arms in their sliding adjusting movements.

To shift from the reclining position Fig. 1 to an intermediate, -orupright position in Fig. 2, it is only necessary to raise the back,whereupon the arms will slide forward until the openings 30, at the rearends of the slots permit the arms to drop down and the shoulders 29, atthe rear ends of the slots to engage over the stop shoulders 24, on theholding lugs. Then the chair will be locked in the intermediate orupright position.

To fold the chair, it is only necessary to draw the lower ends of thelegs together, which causes the seat to rock the cross rod 13, aboutpivot center 15, to lower the back and force it forwardly, causing thearms to fold up at the sides of the back into the position indicated inFig. 6. In this folded position, the lugs on the connecting bracketshold the arms confined at the sides of the back as shown.

The invention simplifies and strengthens the construction as well asproviding a practical connector and means for locking the chair indilferent positions of adjustment.

What is claimed is: A folding chair comprising front and back leg framespivotally connected together at their upper ends, a seat frame pivotallyconnected at its forward end to said front leg frame, a back framepivotally connected at its lower end to said back leg frame and to therearward end of said seat frame, arm rests pivotally connected to saidback frame and extending forwardly therefrom over the tops of the frontand back leg frames, inverted channel brackets having bight portionsconnecting dependent side walls and forming channels engaged over theupper ends of said front and back leg frames, pivot studs extendingacross said channels and through the upper ends of said front and backleg frames, said bight portions of the channel brackets having upwardextensions at the rearward ends of the same providing lugs and said lugshaving stop shoulders at the lower ends of the same, reduced shanksabove said stop shoulders and laterally extended cross heads at theupper ends of said shanks,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,213,590 Parry Sept. 3, 1940 2,659,416 Heyman Nov. 17, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS France Apr. 29, 1935

